About the USA’s first treasury secretary
Written by Pulitzer-Lauded Ron Chernow
Become an also Pulitzer-Lauded Broadway show?
Broadway may be closed for now,
So how do you find out how
History became exciting on stage?
Well now, why don't you read this page?
A cultural phenomenon of the Great White Way
Is preserved on Disney Plus for all who pay.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s dynamic words and music
Make Hamilton a worthy streaming pick.
Hamilton, of course, is Alexander Hamilton (Miranda). Hamilton arrives in New York City in 1776, in time for the Revolution. He meets the likes of Lafayette (Daveed Diggs), Hercules Mulligan (Okieriete Onaodowan) and the show’s narrator, Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr), “the damn fool who shot him.” He joins General George Washington (Christopher Jackson) as his right-hand man and marries Eliza Schuyler (Phillipa Soo).
In 1789, Hamilton is named the First Secretary of Treasury under First President Washington. He makes rivals of Thomas Jefferson (also Diggs), James Madison (also Onaodowan) and especially, Aaron Burr. His affair with Maria Reynolds (Jasmine Cephas-Jones) nearly tears his public and familial reputation into shreds. It all leads to the infamous duel with Burr.
This film review is technically also a play review, a first for me. It's actually a filmed performance of the Original Broadway Production. Actually, it's stitched together from three separate performances. The cinematography by Declan Quinn is as dynamic as the music. It's so seamless when edited by Jonah Moran. You’ll hardly see anything amiss in the continuity. If, at all.
A cultural phenomenon of the Great White Way
Is preserved on Disney Plus for all who pay.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s dynamic words and music
Make Hamilton a worthy streaming pick.
Hamilton, of course, is Alexander Hamilton (Miranda). Hamilton arrives in New York City in 1776, in time for the Revolution. He meets the likes of Lafayette (Daveed Diggs), Hercules Mulligan (Okieriete Onaodowan) and the show’s narrator, Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr), “the damn fool who shot him.” He joins General George Washington (Christopher Jackson) as his right-hand man and marries Eliza Schuyler (Phillipa Soo).
In 1789, Hamilton is named the First Secretary of Treasury under First President Washington. He makes rivals of Thomas Jefferson (also Diggs), James Madison (also Onaodowan) and especially, Aaron Burr. His affair with Maria Reynolds (Jasmine Cephas-Jones) nearly tears his public and familial reputation into shreds. It all leads to the infamous duel with Burr.
This film review is technically also a play review, a first for me. It's actually a filmed performance of the Original Broadway Production. Actually, it's stitched together from three separate performances. The cinematography by Declan Quinn is as dynamic as the music. It's so seamless when edited by Jonah Moran. You’ll hardly see anything amiss in the continuity. If, at all.
It barely feels like a 160-minute-long film. Miranda’s sung-through (and rapped) libretto features showstopper after showstopper. We have the likes of Hamilton’s rousing My Shot, the somber Hurricane and King George III’s (Jonathan Groff) hilarious Greek Chorus numbers. The time goes by fast as you see these numbers in action.
There’s a great cast preserved here. Miranda maybe the title character, and a compelling one, but he gives equal time to Odom Jr. You can see and feel the developing rivalry between Hamilton and Burr. You’ll feel for Burr when he takes his tragic shot. Also compelling is Anthony Ramos as John Laurens and Hamilton’s son, Phillip, who both take fateful duels with different results. Soo, Renee Elise Goldsburry (as Eliza’s sister, Angelica), Diggs and Onaodowan also standout in the cast. And then there’s George III.
Hamilton perfectly preserves the original Broadway production by director Thomas Kail. It's a lively American History Rap Musical that's sure to outwit the cynics in seconds. This is the next best thing for those who couldn't see it on stage. It's sure to get people excited for the film version of Miranda's earlier musical, In The Heights, scheduled for this year. Count me as excited.
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